


Memory_0017

by seiracchi



Category: NieR: Automata (Video Game)
Genre: Friendship, Gen, Moose, No Spoilers, There is romance if you squint, i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-18
Updated: 2017-05-18
Packaged: 2018-11-02 02:31:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10935129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seiracchi/pseuds/seiracchi
Summary: >> We have received reports of animals in the city ruins displaying unusual pigmentation. Such mutations may give insight into the increase in peculiar machine behavior.Investigate the phenomenon.





	Memory_0017

**Author's Note:**

> I marveled at the first albino moose I saw for a good 5 minutes before I killed it ... what kind of message does that send uh.

"2B! Look, are you seeing this?" 

9S gestured toward a white moose, relaxing in the shade of a crumbled ruin. Their search had taken them several hours across stretches of concrete and grass and increasingly improbable locale. No, they agreed, looking down the dark shadowed space of a ruptured pipe, there was probably no moose down there. They had witnessed so many brown, ordinary moose, they swore they were starting to be able to tell them apart.

(I think that's the one that stole all our bait last time, keep an eye out for it, okay?)  
(Got it.)

The elusive white moose looked towards the approaching androids with a lazy flick of its ears. 9S stumbled messily through a bush in his haste, with an eruption of leaves and twigs. 2B followed behind at a more leisurely pace.

The moose, wholly unimpressed, snorted once before lowering its head back to the ground. 

"Wow! It's actually white! I mean, they told us it was white but honestly, I was starting to think it was a prank or something." 9S swatted the leaves clinging to his shorts with one hand, while the other gripped a sachet with the type of fervid determination that hours of moose hunting would instill.

Mumbling softly to himself, 9S began poking and prodding, tugging its ears and stroking the velvet of its antlers. "Aside from the color, it's really no different from the other moose... are there any disadvantages to the lack of pigmentation? Ah, its eyes are red, too!" His Pod whirred in a quiet frenzy, snapping photos from every angle. "No detected abnormalities in size or stature... woah! Sorry, sorry-" 9S's probing gestures earned him an affronted groan from the otherwise tolerant animal. He tossed a handful of bait in recompense. 

"But still, I wonder why this moose is white..." 

2B stood a short distance away, surveying the area for potential threats. She turned back at 9S's question, replying "that's what we're here to find out, isn't it?"

"I know, but-"

"Conjecture: a mutation in the genome of this animal manifested as a physical deformity resulting from the absence of melanin," Pod 153 offered stoically. 

"I know that!" 9S repeated with a huff. He paused, trying to gather his thoughts. He patted the moose idly, earning a rumble of appreciation. 

"I mean, animals.. and humans too, I guess... they aren't like us. They're stuck in the bodies that they're born with, forever. And if that wasn't inconvenient enough, things can go wrong... like this guy here." 9S ran his hands over the moose's smooth, pale hide. This color was awfully similar to theirs, wasn't it? 

"But, even so... Even though they're not normal, even if their code is broken, they can go on living their lives like nothing's wrong. Isn't that... kind of amazing?"

A silence fell between them then, broken only by the gentle rustling of the breeze through the grass, and the quiet whir of the Pods' motors.

Before it became too unbearable, he laughed sheepishly. "Or, something like that, I guess..." 

"No," 2B said suddenly. "It's..."

She turned away then, something unreadable flashing across her face.

"2B..."

He looked back at the moose, calmly nosing his hand for a second serving of bait it sensed he had. He offered it obligingly.

It wasn't really that simple, though. This moose had been so hard to find. It was probably for a reason. It had been ostracized. Shunned by its own kind for being different, for something it couldn't help. ...still. "It doesn't seem to care at all, does it? Haha..."

"Hmm?" 

"A-ah! Nothing, just, um." The moose was eating handfuls of bait contentedly, ignoring him now that it had food to concern itself with. "Do you think we can ride it?"

2B paused, and looked at the moose skeptically. "I don't see the point, when we have two functioning legs. Are you injured somewhere?" 

"No! I mean, don't you think it would be fun?"

"Fun...?"

"I mean, it's nothing like a flight unit, but it can't be that much harder to steer, right?" He grinned, thumping the moose on its hind. 

"If you say so," 2B mused, standing back with her arms crossed. 

A nagging feeling in the back of his mind suggested that this was perhaps not one of his more inspired ideas, but he elected to ignore it. For research. In the name of data collection! 

The moose ignored 9S as he dithered beside it, too occupied with eating to pay him any mind. The beast was wider across than he had expected, and as he swung his leg over its back he was suddenly struck by how poorly prepared he felt for this endeavor. He could barely sit astride, and moose did not have control panels or hacking spaces to aid in motor function.

"2B," he began, but never finished, as the moose finished its meal and decided that leisurely stroll was now in order. It surged to its feet and 9S yelped as the world tilted precariously in its wake. He panicked, unsure of where to grab, until his hands found themselves tangled in its knobbled, mighty antlers. He realized another fact then: moose were absurdly tall. And another: he probably looked ridiculous. 

"2B--" he began again, to no avail. The rest of his sentence was drowned out by a bellow, and he quite abruptly slid sideways off the moose's back as it broke into a bounding gait. He was spared a nasty fall only by his desperate grip on its antlers. 

"9S!" 2B cried, startled by the animal's sudden movement. 

She had her sword in hand but he saw her hesitation, unwilling to risk hitting him as well. It would be better if he just dropped, the impact probably wouldn't cause that much damage, not at this speed-- As if reading his mind, the moose picked up its pace, the contours of the jagged concrete below blurring into a flat grey smear. Great. 

With no other alternative, 2B was forced to chase down the wayward moose; its bellows combined with her shouts and the pounding of hooves and heels echoed around the crumbling cityscape. The large cervid was surprisingly agile, navigating the pocked, crumbling streets with ease. With a grunt of exertion, 2B ground her foot against pavement and launched herself forward, tackling 9S from the antlers with a strained oomph upon impact. She hit the ground with a roll, and straightened up immediately as soon as they came to a halt.

"9S!"

The moose continued on its way, the clatter of its hooves fading into the distance. 

9S sat up with a groan, massaging the strain in his fingers. Scanner models weren't built for this type of abuse. "You know," he panted, "I think moose are more dangerous than machines..." 

2B had been looking down at him with concern, checking his body for signs of damage, but at that comment she paused, the set of her mouth twitching briefly into something like mirth. "You, oh..." 

"Huh?! H-hey, 2B, you're not laughing at me, are you? That thing was savage!"

"You were the one who wanted to ride it, of all things..." There was definitely poorly concealed laughter leaking into her voice. 

"Th-that's-- for research! Data collection! We can see now that white moose have a markedly higher tendency towards kidnapping androids and eating all their bait..." 

"Are you ready to head back, then?" She stood, offering a hand to pull him to his feet. "If you're injured, we can find another moose to ride-" 

"No! No, thank you. I'm-- I'm good."

He reached up and clasped her hand, pulse beating loudly in his ears. It was a long walk back to camp, and his body ached from the unwarranted abuse. Still, as he watched her back, still trembling with barely suppressed humor, he couldn't help but feel that the sound of her laughter had made the trip more than worth the effort.

**Author's Note:**

> How many times did I write the word 'moose' ... This is the first fanfic I've ever written! What an interesting experience. Nier has stolen my heart and soul, I guess I didn't need those anyway--  
> Very very un-beta'd, please feel free to point out glaring mistakes-- I was considering making a series of (relatively) lighthearted content, thank you for reading//
> 
> I [draw](http://seiracchi.tumblr.com), and also [tweet](http://twitter.com/seiirea) ovo/


End file.
